We'll Learn Together
by Harmless As Streaks of Meteors
Summary: A child who doesn't know how to be a child. A father who doesn't know how to be a father. When dangerous circumstances bring Dean Winchester and Lyka Dela Cruz together, they will need to learn how to be a family while battling with their own monsters. Literally and figuratively. R&R Please!
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER ONE**

I shifted uneasily in my seat, I had to keep telling myself not to be scared but I am. I haven't flown in an airplane in my life and this is my first time.

"Lyka, _iha_ , calm down." My _Papa_ placed his hand on my shoulder and I leaned into the weight immediately. It was meant to be comfort and I want to see it like that. But I was so scared I can't even tell him thank you.

Sinag, my _Kuya_ just let me hold his hand as tight as he could, he smiled at me but the pain in his eyes just made me want to throw up or cry.

"Everything will be fine," He always makes these promises, he always tries to make everything better, but I know it's not. "I'll be fine and you'll be fine." He assured me, but he's not fine.

His missing leg is proof of that.

His still healing chest wound is proof of that.

He kept getting hurt because of the _Hunt_ for us.

And I still can't understand why they're hunting us.

"Remember, even if he never raised you, he's still your blood-father." Sinag reminded me, patting my hand, I bit my lip and nodded. I can't trust myself not to tell him that I can't care about my father. "He'll still care for you."

I don't want a father that I never knew to care for me.

I want my _Tatay_. I only remember snippets of him but all these memories were always happy. I remember blanket forts and fairy tales and I remember tickle fights and messy baking.

I don't want someone who doesn't know me. I don't want to be invisible again. I don't want a father who'll just see me like a burden.

Papa patted me on the head and smiled, I tried to smile back like how my Kuya advised me to but I can't. I think he saw my face because he immediately leaned down to rub his nose against mine.

"We'll make sure you'll be okay with them, _Bunso_." He can't promise that, can he? I mean I have burns and wounds and I just know I'll get hurt even more than I already had.

"Anyway, they won't figure it out until they read _Nay's_ letter," Kuya cut in with a reassuring grin, "as far as they're concerned they're meeting us for an important discussion on what they're hunting."

Papa only looked at Kuya before shaking his head, "Lyka's existence is still an important discussion," Papa added in with a raised brow at Kuya, "I could never understand why you and your mother think it wise to avoid telling her father of her existence." Papa paused before he proceeded to rub the short fuzz that was supposed to be my hair.

"She's still too young to have seen the world like this, Sinag." The look Papa gave me was sad and at the same time protective. It made me feel like he wanted to pick me up and bundle me up in all my warm clothes, I don't think it's because I'm cold but it's because I was one of his youngest grandchildren.

We've been stuck in this plane for too long but I learned to just focus on Papa and Kuya's lips and to keep myself focused on their words. They were discussing other stuff that I can't figure out but I did catch the names of my dad and his family.

The first time they told me that they were sending the youngest tribe members back to their human families with an assigned _Guard_ I got scared. I didn't want to be sent back to the streets. My Tatay was dead. No one will be there for me. I tried to tell them I could fight, that I'm strong enough, but Kuya said that he didn't want me to have night terrors added to my trauma.

The next day Kuya woke me up and told me he found my father, he was a hunter of _Dark-Folk_. Kuya told me that I will be going abroad to keep myself hidden and safe like the other kids, I got scared again. Scared and angry. All I could remember doing next was that I called him so many bad names but Kuya only looked hurt before trying to explain why I have to go.

He never gets mad...so when I get mad and he just looks sad, it hurts so much. I didn't want to go but he didn't want me to die.

So we both made a promise that when they finish the War with the Dark-Folk hunting us, he'll send me word and we could be together again. Like how we were after he found me on the streets when no one cared about me.

 **~OoO~~OoO~~OoO~~OoO~~OoO~~OoO~~OoO~**

I didn't realise I fell asleep until Papa was waking me up, I only whined and held my arms out to him. Papa chuckled and picked me up, I nuzzled into his shirt, it's nice and soft and Papa won't mind if I make him a pillow. Papa was big and strong, so he could always carry two kids my age and size in both hands. He loved laughing too, it was because when he laughs, it makes the kids like me feel less scared. Papa also has a long beard and he likes wearing typical old people clothes like sweaters and pants for his disguise. None of us could tell him how funny he looked because he's really proud of his disguise.

When we got off the plane, Papa let Kuya take over so he could grab my bags from the spinning belt thing, so Kuya held my hand and began asking me the usual questions he's been grilling me with ever since they found out who my father is.

"Lyka, what's your family's last name?" I huffed and puffed my cheeks out, trying to think of the answer again.

"Dela Cruz?" I said hesitantly, Kuya smiled and nodded.

"First names?" He pressed, I looked down on my shoes and thought really hard on what I should answer with.

"Papa _Batha_ -" I stopped, my eye widening when I got the name wrong and looked to Kuya, I don't want to _Reveal_ anyone.

Kuya smiled and set his crutches aside to sink to the same eye level at me.

"Papa Bal-tha-zar." Kuya spoke slowly and gently and he even sounded out the syllables. He wasn't mad. No, Kuya and Papa never got mad. It was who they were. I swallowed and nodded.

"Papa Balthazar," I mumbled out, I stumbled over the way the name was and it felt wrong to say that about Papa but my father needs to know through _Nanay_. Kuya nodded, trying to keep me going, "Nanay Maya, Tita Hannah, Tita Tala, Tito Apollo, Kuya Simeon and Lyka Dela Cruz." I finished the entire list of my family and I looked at Kuya, he looked proud, but he looked like he might cry too.

He did cry. It was always quiet when he cried. He pulled me close and I clung onto him, whimpering, I never wanted to leave Kuya, he saved me from the streets and kept me safe and showed me what family is. He promised we'll never be apart.

But now his promise is gonna be broken because we're being Hunted and I "need to be safe". It's not fair!

"I'll miss you, Lyka." He whispered, his voice cracking, I pressed my face into his neck and I just tried not to cry harder.

" 'll m'ss 'ou too." I mumbled, sniffling. Kuya didn't let go of me even after he stopped crying and shaking.

When Papa got back, Kuya was still hugging me but his eyes were dry now, we decided to just settle down on the floor and wait for Papa to return so we could get going.

"So your father and your uncle should be somewhere around here," Papa started as Kuya got up to scan the airport with him, he had this blank expression on his face but I knew he was thinking of something negative.

"Or they decided that it's suspicious that a bunch of foreigners know about them and figured they should bail."

I hope the second part was true, if it was then that would mean Papa and Kuya would have to take me back.

...or they would just leave me with someone else I don't know. Someone who doesn't even have a tie with me.

"I doubt that they would bail on our 'information' if it's about the demon they've been hunting for most of their lives." Papa said simply, "If need be, I'll _Reveal_ us and we may as well offer our aid to them so that there would be no hard feelings." Kuya's face said that he doesn't agree.

"Alright." He said instead, he sounded like he really didn't want to say alright but he did. I didn't want us to be Revealed, but Papa always means well so I'm just going to trust him.

"But that's only as a last resort." I nodded, the plan was that I give Nanay's letter to my father then that's when we're Revealed. Kuya said he'll send me a Santelmo so we could talk, or he could have an Anito deliver our messages. Mostly because he wasn't sure if he could trust my father with taking care of my _Mirror_.

Kuya took hold of my hand.

I bit my lip, taking a deep breath, I nodded.

 **~OoO~~OoO~~OoO~~OoO~~OoO~~OoO~~OoO~**

So that was my father. He won't like me. He doesn't look like he can take care of me. I frowned as I looked at him from behind Kuya. His brother has long hair. That was something I was used to at least.

I looked up at Kuya who was just staring at them blankly.

We found them waiting for us but now we're just stuck in an awkward silence. I think all of us are scared of something.

"Mr. Dean Winchester and Mr. Sam Winchester?" Kuya started, his voice was rough. Like he's trying to keep himself from saying anything that wouldn't be nice.

"Uh, yes, that's us." I cling tighter onto Kuya. Their accents aren't familiar. I could understand what they're saying, but I don't like this. They're not my family. They don't even know why they'll be taking me in.

Kuya nodded and looked at me nudging me forward, I just tried to keep holding onto him.

"We're the Dela Cruz family, I'm sure you remember my mother, Maya."

My father's eyes widened.

Looks like he remembers my Nanay.

* * *

 **A.N. So there we go with my first ever Supernatural fanfic, this happens somewhere around S1 and I'll admit that I haven't gotten very far but I'd say that the idea of Dad!Dean always interested me. So yeah, I decided to take my characters from my original story out and put my main character, Lyka in the fanfic cause here's the thing, her father is never revealed because in the original story, it wasn't really important, but now I'll make a leeway cause this is pretty fun to write about. I hope you like this, please leave comments they motivate me! ;;3;;**

 **iha/hija - my child, my daughter**

 **Papa - Lyka calls her grandfather Papa as a term of endearment**

 **Kuya - big brother**

 **The Hunt -** **the term demigods use as a reference to how they are being hunted for their blood and insides.**

 **Tatay - Lyka was given to a history teacher who raised her and she grew up calling him Tatay which translates to Father.**

 **Bunso - youngest child or little one.**

 **Reveal -** **To Reveal yourself as a supernatural being is to show your true self. Gods and Demigods have this ability since their human guise is not their true form. For Demigods, their true form is their bodies shrouded in a blinding light. With the Gods, their true form depends on what dominion they rule over. Mayari has a soft white glow for her true form, Bathala is expansive like the galaxy with shifting shades of glowing colours, Hanan and Apolaki has a golden glow to them, etc.**

 **Revealing also counts when you say someone else's true name with or without the person's consent.**

 **Nay/Nanay - Mother**

 **Guard -** **a protector of the younger Demigods. They are commonly Kapres, Diwatas or Tikbalangs.**

 **Dark-Folk -** **the term used for the people who aren't aligned with Bathala or those that are not exactly in the 'good' spectrum.**

 **Bathala - Filipino/Tagalog All-Father and creator of mankind, he loved a mortal woman and had four children with her. Hanan (the Goddess of the Morning), Mayari (Goddess of the Moon, Beauty, Revolution, Hunt, Combat, War, Weaponry and Strength), Tala (Goddess of the Stars) and Apolaki (God of the Sun, Wisdom, Strategy and the chief patron of Warriors.)**

 **Mirror -** **a bowl with gold Baybayin engravings in it used by Mayari's children to communicate with each other through pouring water in the bowl and letting the moonlight hit it.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A.N. So I got myself this awesome beta reader, TheWolfParadox who's helping me out in fixing up my chapters. Also, they're helping me try to stay as true to the characters as I could while I proceed to insert my own shite in the story. Thanks so much for the help, love! I seriously appreciate it!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWO**

"Yeah, I know who your mother is," My father spoke, he sounded like he was scared to hear what Kuya had to say. "She's a great hunter." I heard Kuya let out a sound like a laugh and a cough.

I think it was both.

"Yes, I know," Kuya replied with a smile, "She trained me and some others." My father looked surprised before he looked at his brother like they were talking to each other through their minds.

I hope they can't do that.

"Why don't we go somewhere private where the three of us could talk?" Kuya suggested as he nodded to a part of the airport without people there.

My father and his brother nodded, I figured that this was going to be another one of Kuya's adult talks.

I was nudged away from my hiding spot behind Kuya by Papa who brought me in front of him but I really didn't want my father to see me so I clung onto Papa's long jacket and hid behind it. Papa just sighed and picked me up which was fine for me cause he could hide me better.

"Don't make me leave." I told him this already, I don't want to go away but Papa just looked at me the same way he did the first time I told him.

"Iha, you know why we have to do this." He told me as he hugged me close. "Your Kuya and I would never give you up," he told me. I could feel my throat closing up, I don't want to cry but I also can't help it. "We love you too much, your Nanay wouldn't do this either." I sniffled and buried my face in his jacket.

"Why now?" Why is it that I'm going to lose everything now just when I was getting used to my family? When Kuya was getting used to waking me up to help me get ready for training? When my brothers and sisters would all tell me I'm safe when the bad dreams come?

"Why do I lose you now?" I asked Papa again, I could feel my tears running down my cheeks and I tried to wipe it off but more tears came. "I-I could fight a-and I don't have to eat much-" Papa shook his head and looked at me.

"You're a growing girl, Lyka." He hugged me and I realised that this might be the last hug from my Papa that I'll get. I cried harder and just hugged him as tight as I could. "You know so much about the world's hardships but this is something that we can't let you join, you need to be safe. Where no one could hurt you and where your family could see you."

"Y-you're my family." I hiccuped out, Papa just gave me a sad smile like Kuya had been doing ever since he told me I was going away.

"I know, iha." He shushed me and held me close. I just cried even more and hoped that somehow I won't have to go with my father and I could just stay with Papa and Kuya and we could just go back home.

 **~OoO~~OoO~~OoO~~OoO~~OoO~~OoO~~OoO~**

When Kuya came back, he had his blank face on and he told Papa that we'll be eating before they leave. I didn't really want to eat but I know Kuya would be worrying because he doesn't like the idea of me not eating. My father said he knew the perfect place we could go to for food.

The place my father took us to was...different but familiar. It was a McDonald's, I haven't eaten there in forever. Kuya took me there once but we usually ate our meals at the clan huts and they're always cooked by our older siblings. But even with my time in the streets, I know a McDonald's pretty well when I see one. I also remember a time when I used to eat there.

"Lyka, what would you like?" Kuya asked me, I shrugged, frowning at the menu.

"One piece chicken?" I wasn't sure if that was okay but Kuya looked happy I chose that so I guess that it is.

"Okay, I'll get that too and maybe also a burger." He patted my head before he told the lady behind the counter what food he and I wanted. Papa just went with a 'Happy Meal' and said that the toy should be given to me.

I think I kind of remember a time when Tatay would buy me those. Tatay always took me to eat out at McDonald's on Fridays after my daycare and it was a lot of fun whenever he takes me there.

Papa carried me all the way to our table and sat me down between him and Kuya. I like not having to sit beside my father. I get to pretend that I'm still part of my Papa and Kuya's lives for a bit longer.

My father I think noticed me when I told Kuya what I wanted to eat because ever since he sat down in front of me, he's been staring. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat and tried to ignore him while I ate but it didn't take long for me to get uncomfortable and tug on Kuya's jacket sleeve.

"What's wrong?" Kuya asked, looking at me. I bit my lip before looking at my father. I think Kuya understood because he just nodded.

"He's just seen you for the first time, Bunso," Kuya explained to me. I didn't care that it's his first time seeing me, I didn't like how he'd look at me. Was he always going to look at me like I'm some sort of freak?

"Go and finish your food." I nodded and just finished what was left of my chicken before pushing the plate away.

My father cleared his throat, "So uh, her," he nodded at me, "how long's she had those scars?" I shrank away from him the moment his hand gestured to my face.

"Ever since she was three, she got them in a house fire and some scars she got while living on the streets," Papa answered. I noticed how he's trying to keep Kuya from answering, is it because Kuya doesn't lie about my story?

My father grew quiet after that, but he just gave me one more look before he got up and left the table. I let out a relieved sigh.

"We should get on the topic of my and my grandfather's arrival." Kuya looked at my father's brother. "We know about the house fires and the maternal deaths, the whole deal," Kuya said. I saw my 'uncle' tense like he didn't want my Kuya to know all about this.

"We figured that you might need some information on what you're dealing with and that's easy access for me and my grandfather," Kuya explained, he looked like he knew what he was talking about but I knew that he was making this up. Papa could find out about stuff like that but he can't. "But in order for us to give you this valuable information, we'll need to ask a favour from you."

"And what is that favour?" my 'uncle' asked Kuya, he sounds like he knows what Kuya's going to be asking though. I hope he doesn't like the idea.

Kuya looked at me and leaned over to bump his forehead against mine. "It'll be okay," he mouthed to me as he booped my nose with his finger. Then he looked at my 'uncle' with a serious expression.

"My sister."

"No." I breathed out a sigh, my 'uncle' didn't want me. I never thought I'd be happy someone wouldn't want me.

Kuya shook his head. "Look, my grandfather, my aunts, my uncle, and even my mother, we're all fighting a War that she shouldn't ever be a part of." Kuya was talking really quickly. "She got dragged in, she kept on nearly becoming a casualty." My 'uncle's' face looked like he couldn't believe what my Kuya was saying but when Papa spoke he got my 'uncle's' attention.

"We had lost different children already," Papa said softly, "We just want one of them to live if we could help it." Kuya looked away from my 'uncle' and looked at Papa like he didn't expect Papa to talk.

I sometimes forget that some of my brothers and sisters died because of the Hunt.

"I can't send her anywhere in my country because they'd still find her," Kuya added in, his voice shaking. "They always find her and I'm scared that I might be too late if they manage to take her."

My 'uncle' opened his mouth to say something but my father returned with a tray full of food and he set it down between him and me.

"I figured that you might still be hungry so I got some extra for you." I eyed him and tilted my head with a frown. My father smiled. "See, I got you a burger and some fries, I also got some for me too."

"Thank you." I mumbled, reaching for the burger, my father looked pretty happy that I took my burger.

"My sister, Lyka, we need you both to keep her safe for the moment," Kuya tried with my father, I saw that same expression my 'uncle' had when Kuya tried with him but Kuya continued, "Our place right now isn't safe, she nearly died several times. We're dealing with things far beyond our control, we're willing to trade information if you could please just keep Lyka safe." Kuya was talking really fast and I noticed how he was clenching his fist.

"You know, this could be dangerous." My father began, but my Kuya shook his head.

"We've faced our own horrors, she knows her precautions." My father nodded, but he still looked like he wanted to say no. Kuya sighed. "The Dark-Folk don't have to find her if she takes those precautions." Kuya shook his head again and said something about Nanay's surprise being ruined.

For a few seconds I thought he was going to Reveal us.

"My mother has a letter for you, you need to read it." My father tensed up and Kuya looked at me. I reached into my jacket pocket and took out Nanay's now wrinkled letter.

"She said it's for you to know what happened." I mumbled out.

My father took the letter with shaking hands.

"Did-did she say anything in this letter? About anything?"

Papa smiled at my father.

"About you? She addressed it to you for a reason, my boy." My father looked surprised he'd even get a letter but I think Papa's words helped him. He looked like he had to make himself braver before he looked at the envelope and tore it open.

* * *

 **A.N. Again, please don't hesitate leave comments as they motivate me to keep on writing and I love hearing from those who had read my story. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A.N. Special thanks to TheWolfParadox for saving my sorry ass with my grammar and for assuring me that so far Sam and Dean are in character and I needn't have worried about that. Thanks again! Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER THREE**

Whatever Nanay had written in there must have been nice since my father smiled while reading the first page. Though when he turned to read the next page, he stopped reading all of a sudden then he looked at me. I froze in my seat and I could feel Kuya's hand rest on my shoulder.

"I assume my mother told you about Lyka in that letter?" Kuya spoke with a really cold tone. I looked at him and tugged on a lock of his _greying hair_. He looked like he had forgotten I was there when he looked at me but he just smiled and shrugged.

My father returned to reading the letter. "Lyka, how old are you?" he asked me slowly. I frowned and pressed my lips together. I felt Kuya nudge me and I shrugged.

"I'm six, turning seven." Not for a couple more months though. My 'uncle' looked like he wanted me to be lying while my father looked sick.

"Pretty young to deal with what you did." My father commented, looking at my scars again. I can't figure out why he looks a bit sad or scared. I'm not sure.

"At her age, she managed to show she is my mother's daughter," Kuya replied, but I noticed that he didn't say that everyone in the tribe had gone through the same things as I did...just at different ages.

"Lyka's rather smart for her age, language wise. Her father taught her well in the English language and had introduced reading to her at a young age," Papa butted in, changing the subject with a wide smile.

"Oh? That's great to hear," my father said clearing his throat. He looked at Papa. "Why didn't she tell me?" He sounded hurt. Why? I looked at Kuya who looked like he wanted to say something but he just shook his head at me when I waited for him to say what he wanted to.

Papa sighed. "When she found out, she was already on her way back and she knew that you have your own life to lead so she'd rather not burden you with the knowledge or responsibility of a child." My father looked even more hurt when Papa said that but Papa didn't look sorry.

"You know that it was better that way, young man." Papa told him.

My father nodded. "Yeah, of course." Kuya looked at my father, then at me. We both figured out he was lying. He didn't think it was better.

My 'uncle' was peeking at my father's letter and he ended up staring at me too. I frowned at him, was I really that strange to look at?

"Now that you know, are you still open to the idea of keeping her safe?" Papa coaxed my father back to the conversation.

"Of course, she's my daughter," my father said simply, he was staring at me again.

Papa nodded. "Very well, then we best be leaving." Getting up from their seats, Kuya and Papa both gave me kisses then Kuya looked at my father and 'uncle'.

"Please take care of her, we'll come back the very moment the War is over." Kuya said before he dropped his crutches to kneel down on the floor to pull me in the tightest hug he could give me.

"Behave, be brave and never forget that we love you," Kuya whispered. I whimpered and buried my face in his shoulder.

"Please don't die," I whispered back. Kuya chuckled.

"I'll try, Bunso." Pulling away from our hug, Kuya zipped up my jacket and took out my sticker name tag and stuck it to the front of my jacket.

"Now everyone doesn't have to ask for your name." Kuya smiled and he gave me one last kiss before Papa helped him up and he got his crutches back.

"We'll call you later, Iha." Papa promised me before he took out something from his pocket.

It was a gadget.

"I was told that I could store music in here by your _Tito Antonio_ when we went out to the city." He explained, his eyes twinkling. His eyes twinkled whenever he finds out something new that he thinks is amazing. "So I got it for you and I asked your Kuya what songs you like, we both had a bit of trouble putting as much songs as we could here."

I took the gadget from his hand then I looked at my Papa.

"You didn't need to-" I mumbled. Papa shrugged.

"You're my granddaughter, I want to make sure you have things to remember us by." I have lots of things, my clothes that my siblings had made for me and the clothes that Kuya had bought and packed for me, the books that my siblings had found and stored in my bags, even some weapons that my aunts and uncle had given.

Nanay had even decided to pack a stuffed doll in my backpack so that I don't have to be lonely.

"I have lots of-" Papa shook his head.

"I want you to remember us when you're here, the songs your Tatay had you listen to, the songs that your Kuya's beloved sings or those songs that you learned about from your music tutors." _I just want you to remember home._ That thought passed between us without much words and I understood them.

"Thank you _po_ ," I whispered. Papa gave me one last hug before he nodded to Kuya, then they just said some things to my new guardians and gave some papers before they made their way out of McDonald's.

I stared after them for a few seconds and I could feel my father taking steps towards me but I ignored him and began running after Kuya and Papa.

"Wait!" Kuya and Papa stopped walking and turned around. I managed to tackle their legs and give them a tight hug.

"Promise me you'll call tonight." Kuya nodded.

"Every night, even if we're fighting I promise I'll call." He promised me before I let go and watched my family walk away.

My father came up to me but we didn't speak for some time.

"You'll see them again someday," he told me. I nodded. But I'm not so sure if that's possible with everything that's going on. I felt him steer me around and I followed, keeping my head down.

"So is your mom married your dad?" my father asked. I looked at him for a few moments before ducking my head between my shoulders again.

"No, Tatay was Nanay's friend." Tatay met Nanay when he was young, they became friends but Tatay admitted to me that he finds it hard to fall in love with anyone since he loves everyone like family and friends.

My father looked relieved. "So your mom, she's in on the war?" I shrugged.

"Sometimes, but sometimes she has a lot of other stuff to do." I mumbled, my dad nodded. My 'uncle' was staring at me for a bit before he cleared his throat to get my attention.

"So Lyka, what do you like to do?" I shrugged.

"Reading and I like listening to music." I wasn't sure what else to say, unlike my other family who got to figure out what they like to do, I'm still learning.

"What do you read?" my 'uncle' pressed. I shrugged.

"A lot."

"I see."

A part of me that sounded like Tatay reminded me to talk about my favourite books, I took a deep breath and continued, "Tolkien. I like reading his books." Kuya only liked reading the poems to me and I liked reading about everything else.

Kuya always liked Philippine legends better so I go to my Papa's adopted children to learn about Tolkien's books more.

"He's a good writer." My 'uncle' said, I nodded.

"But sometimes I don't feel much when I read some parts of his books," I added. My 'uncle' nodded thoughtfully.

"You said you like music, what do you like listening to?" my father jumped in. I took out the gadget Papa gave me and looked through all the songs he put in.

Papa really did remember everything, all of the songs he and Kuya put in were the songs I know and like.

"I like listening to these." I handed the gadget to my father, he looked through them and raised a brow at me.

"Showtunes?" The corner of his lips twitched up.

"What's showtunes?" I asked.

"Musicals." I nodded.

"Then yes, I like showtunes." My 'uncle' and father then proceeded to ask me about a lot of things like what was my favourite food ( _sinigang_ ), if I went to school (I said no, but I did tell them I have tutors), what my favourite subject was (English and Music) and what I wanted to be when I grow up (I didn't know.).

It was weird that they're asking me because Kuya learned everything about me while watching me, it wasn't weird with him because he's Kuya. He watches me to make sure I won't get hurt. But I don't know these two men, they're blood-family but not the family I know.

We've been walking for a while now and it took me a bit of time to realise that we reached a black car and my father was carefully putting my bags inside the back seats.

"Is this yours?" I asked. My father looked at me and gave me a proud grin.

"Who? Baby?" I frowned at the name. Why did he name his car? "Yeah, she's mine." Opening the door wider for me, he nodded to the inside as if he was coaxing me to go in.

"Thank you." Clambering into the backseat, I checked my backpack for any missing stuff and I noticed that everything was as it was packed.

My Mirror was even tucked under my books and skirts.

"All set?" my 'uncle' asked. I nodded.

"Let's go."

When the engine roared to life, I had to hold onto my backpack and force myself to breathe. I forgot that cars were loud! I squeezed my eyes shut and forced myself to remember that I'm not hearing the loud noises during a tribe raid.

But I could still see everything.

 _Kuya shielded me and the others from the Dark-Folk as he shouted out orders to the others. His bolo in his hand, moving almost on instinct as he chopped and slashed at the Dark-Folk._

 _I remember screaming when a **Wakwak** took him away, dragging him by the hair. I didn't realise that I took a butterfly knife from one of my sisters just to throw it at the Wakwak._

 _The Wakwak got angry and it chased me. I wasn't fast enough and it would claw at me, I was sure that I won't be able to reach safety but Kuya was very fast._

 _He pushed me behind him and then the Wakwak-_

"Lyka!" I was jolted out of my memory when I felt someone's hands on my shoulders. I saw my father looking at me with worried eyes.

"You okay, kid?" I forced myself to take another breath and I nodded slowly. He didn't believe me but he carefully let go.

"When we heard your breaths getting faster and louder we pulled over," my 'uncle' explained with a frown on his face. "Are you sure you're okay? You were unresponsive for ten minutes."

I nodded. "'M'okay," I mumbled out.

My father looked upset but I didn't want to try to think of what's wrong with him. I just wanted to sleep.

"Can I sleep?" My father nodded.

"Of course you can, you don't have to ask for permission." I shook my head.

"Is it safe to sleep?" I had to fix my question. Only my family knew why I say that because everyone else says that at the tribe, everyone's too scared to sleep at night.

My father looked surprised when I asked that question, but he gave me a small smile as if to comfort me or something.

"Yeah, kiddo." I wanted to try and believe him, but I waited for my 'uncle's' words, he nodded.

"You'll be safe." My 'uncle' said that with a smile too.

I still can't find it in myself to believe them, but even if I didn't I had no choice since my eyes closed the moment I put my head on my backpack.

* * *

 **A.N. So first off, thank you all so much for reading my fanfic so far and I'm so glad to hear you like it! I hope you all enjoy this chapter and please don't forget to leave reviews as it keeps me motivated to write! ;;3;;**

 **To lydo99, I'm so happy to hear you're enjoying it please don't hesitate to leave a review! Hope you like it!**

 **To Isabella, to answer your question my characters aren't Hawaiian. They're Filipino. Sinag and Lyka are Filipino Demigods and Papa is Bathala, the Tagalog Allfather. (There's different pantheons per regions.) I'm happy to hear that my story has caught your attention! I hope the later chapters keeps you as engaged in the story as you are!**

 **Greying hair - The children raised by Mayari personally has slowly greying hair as a sign that the Moon has favoured them.**

 **Po and Opo - Filipino ways of showing respect to one's po is usually affixed to the end of sentences or phrases when one is addressing someone older than him or her. For example, paumanhin in Filipino means sorry. To an elder, one would say paumanhin po, The word po alone does not really have its own meaning but adds formality and is used as a sign of respect. This is why it is affixed to mano and thus is said as mano po when one is requesting for the blessing of an elder. Opo is a way to say yes to your elders.**

 **Tito Antonio - one of the humans who is allied with the gods, he also serves as an informal godfather for some Demigods and is their supplier for educational material as well as introducing technology and whatnot to the Demigods.**

 **Sinigang - a Filipino soup or stew characterized by its sour and savoury taste most often associated with tamarind. It is one of the more popular viands in Philippine cuisine.h**

 **Wakwak - The Wakwak is a vampiric, bird-like creature in Philippine mythology. It is said to snatch humans at night as prey, similar to the Manananggal and the Ekek in rural areas of the Philippines. due to its ability to fly. The difference between the Mananggal and the Wakwak is that Wakwak cannot separate its torso from its body while the Manananggal can. Some believe it is also a form a vampire takes. Other people contend that a "Wakwak" is a Philippine night bird belonging to a witch.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A.N. So sorry for the late chapter update! Work's been busy and I was dealing with a lot of emotional ups and downs! Once again, a huge heartfelt thanks to WolfParadox for being my patient and amazing beta reader! Hope you guys like this!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER FOUR**

We drove to a hotel, I think I fell asleep on the way because when I realised where we were, I was already in a bed. It was somewhere in the afternoon when we arrived and it was dark when I woke. I got a bit excited when I realised what time it was.

It's night time.

I scrambled off the bed and padded around the room, looking for my backpack. Night means the moon and the moon lets me call Kuya. Kuya would hopefully be able to talk to me and we could talk about his plans for the War. The incident at the car wasn't important, I wasn't hurt or anything bad. I just got very scared.

I found my backpack at the wall and I zipped it open as quietly as I could to look for my Mirror. When I found it, I looked around to see if anyone else is in the room (I was alone) before I ran to the bathroom as quietly as I could. I just needed water and then I'd go out for a bit. Water then moonlight then I'd be able to talk to Kuya again.

I miss Kuya.

I locked the bathroom door before I went to the bathtub (the sink was too high.) to fill my Mirror with water. Kuya told me that fresh lake or spring water is better because it's nature that connects us, but this is the next best thing.

When I got my Mirror ready, I snuck out the bathroom and I looked around the room again. Neither of my guardians had come back yet so I don't have to worry about much. I'm more worried about where I'll find moonlight. Kuya learned how to call without moonlight pretty fast but that's because Nanay already taught him cause she raised him herself. I'm still learning.

When I got out of the room, I noticed how it's not like other hotels I've seen that Tatay had taken me to. The hallways aren't in the building, it leads outside. That got rid of my worries about where I'd find moonlight.

I was careful not to spill any water as I held my Mirror out to the small ray of light. I held my breath and waited.

"Bunso?" Kuya's voice was faint and it faded in and out when he spoke but that didn't matter, he was there!

"Kuya?" I whispered back, bringing the Mirror away from the light. Kuya was a bit blurry but I could see him okay enough, he looked worried.

"Bunso, are you okay? Lyka?" Kuya was leaning closer to me and I just smiled. I miss him. I want to go back.

"I miss you." I blurted out as I tried to look closer at him. He looked a bit see through and I could see clouds and stars through him. He was using a window glass.

Kuya smiled his sad smile again.

"I miss you too, Bunso," he whispered to me, placing his fingers in front of him. "I miss you so much and Papa misses you a lot too." I heard a deep voice beyond Kuya's side and Kuya looked away for a moment to reply.

"Papa got sad when he realised that the lady at McDonald's forgot to give the Happy Meal toy to you." I shrugged. I forgot that Papa wanted to give me a toy cause he says all kids should have something to play with. But I don't mind.

"It's okay." I tried to find Papa but he wasn't there. Kuya shook his head.

" _Papa can't be seen by my Mirror,_ " he explained. I wanted to say how his Mirror isn't a Mirror anymore since it's already his _Sight_ that he's pushing onto something he could use as a Mirror.

I just kept quiet instead.

"Tell Papa it's okay." I don't like it when Papa gets sad. Especially if he gets sad because of something that isn't important. "I'm okay Papa." I said as loudly as I could. I wasn't expecting to hear Papa's rumbling voice at all but I did!

"If you're sure, iha."

Kuya grinned. "My Mirror can't see him but it's still working as a telephone," he told me. I nodded.

We became quiet for a bit before I tried to break the silence. "Do you know what to do for when you're back?" Do you know what to do for the War? Kuya lost his sad smile and his frown appeared. It wasn't angry. It was more like he has a really bad headache whenever he thinks about the War and I think I understand why.

"I don't know, Bunso. My primary War council is mostly injured or dead now, our brothers and sisters who are clan leaders can't come because their tribes are also in danger." Kuya's face crumpled and he looked down, rubbing his face with his hand.

"I don't know anymore, Lyka," he whispered. I shook my head. Seeing Kuya like this always hurt cause he always acts like he's not scared much or he always finds a way to just make everyone laugh or smile. He sometimes even sings for the younger kids when we're scared at night.

"It's okay," I whispered. I can't touch the water in my Mirror because I might lose my call with Kuya so I just let my finger get as close to Kuya's reflection as I could make them.

"It's okay," I repeated, forcing my voice to sound happy like Kuya does whenever one of us cries, "You'll know. You're smart and-and maybe our brothers and sisters could come help soon. No one should go through this alone" I don't think they would send help though.

The Cacao tribe lost their tribe leader _Maria Cacao_ and it's been four years now and a lot of the Demigods there were killed because they were too exposed. The Hunt was really bad that time when fifty Cacao tribe members were killed while the Sinukuan tribe was making their own preparations to look for _Mariang Sinukuan_ while keeping their sisters and brothers safe.

I don't think they'll be able to help. But Kuya needs hope right now and he doesn't have much of it in him.

"It's okay." I watched as Kuya looked at me like he wants to say no. I smiled again. "You'll be fine, I'll be fine." I copied his words from when we were still on the plane. Kuya looked like he wanted to hug me really tight. I want to hug Kuya again, I want him to blow raspberries on my cheek and to stay up late reading the books he found for me. I want to speak to Nanay like I did back at the tribe when she came for short visits. But most of all, I just want to go back to my family

"I miss you, Bunso," he whispered, his voice cracking, "I miss you and I want you here. I want to hug you and keep you safe and I know I can't because the Hunt isn't stopping and it scares me to think that even with you there you might not be safe and I don't know what to do if anything happened to you there." Kuya never told me this. He never said he was scared. He just kept telling me I'll be safe, that I'll have family even though it's not him or Papa. He never told me he was scared.

"I'm scared you'll leave me like Tatay." I answered back. My throat felt tight and my eyes were burning, I took a deep breath and it wasn't so deep. I want to cry but if I cry, Kuya will cry and think it's his fault.

"I don't want you to leave me like Tatay." I said again. I know I sound like I'm whining and I don't want to sound like that but I just...I just don't want to be alone again! And Kuya was the only one that I could have with me all the time without being scared that they'll have to go away.

Kuya made shushing noises. "It's okay Bunso, it's okay, you won't." I saw Kuya smile tightly and he pressed his forehead against the glass, closing his eyes. "The Dark-Folk could maim and take my other limbs away but so help me, I'll find a way to make sure you won't lose me."

"Promise?" I asked, my voice sounded choked and I could feel my tears starting to go down my face when Kuya said I won't lose him. But I'm not embarrassed. If it's Kuya then I'm not embarrassed to cry or laugh loudly. I held up my pinky finger in front of my Mirror and Kuya nodded, copying me.

"Promise."

Then Kuya cleared his throat and smiled at me like he's trying to pretend that nothing hurts.

"Now, why don't you tell me how your day went hmm?"

"And if you've eaten your dinner yet." Papa's rumbling voice threw in.

I bit my lip while I tried to think over what parts of my day I should tell them. "Well…" I looked down at my feet and shrugged slightly, "There's not much to tell. I fell asleep and I woke up in a hotel."

Kuya looked confused and for a few seconds I got to remember how he also looked that confused when we first went to McDonald's. I told him to order a Happy Meal for himself and he finds it cute that there's a special order for kids.

"And where's your father?" Kuya asked slowly. He had a careful tone and I noticed that he wasn't smiling that much. I pressed my lips together. Kuya's not angry with me, right?

"Lyka, iha." Papa's voice came in again, he wasn't angry but he sounded...he's not happy. "Where is your father? Did you wake up alone?" I kept my head ducked down while I nodded.

"I knew it," Kuya snarled out. I flinched. "I trusted those two to keep her safe not leave her alone to could fend for herself!"

"Sinag, maybe they're-" Papa tried to cut in but Kuya didn't let him.

"I chose them because they're the safer option, _Lolo_! You know I had no choice with them!" Kuya sounded really angry. Was it my fault? " _Puñeta_!" I whimpered as I tried to hide from Kuya. I don't want him to be angry at me. Did I make Kuya angry? He never got angry before...

"Sinag-"

"Did they think that this is a joke?" Kuya spat out, "I expected more from the man Nanay told me about! I didn't expect them to be a bunch of irresponsible, useless, imbecilic pieces of-" I squeezed my eyes shut as I tried not to cry. Did I make Kuya mad?

"That is enough!" Papa barked out. Kuya stopped.

"Sinag, go apologise and speak to your sister. You need to rethink what you just said." Papa didn't sound happy.

It took us awhile to speak to each other.

"Lyka, I'm-I'm sorry," Kuya started. I shook my head.

"Shouldn't have left the room." I muttered. Kuya looked sad but I don't care right now. Why would he let me go if he thinks bad of my father and 'uncle'?

"No, no, it's not that." Kuya said quickly, he closed his eyes and sighed. "I just...it's hard. It's hard having to trust two men I don't know with someone I want to keep safe." I shook my head.

"So why did you let me go?" I shot back. Kuya looked surprised, then hurt. He looked away from me when he answered.

"Because I want to keep you safe, the only option is over the seas where hopefully no Dark-Folk could touch you."

"But now I'm alone!" I shouted at him, my breath hitched when I did. I was crying and it hurt to breathe, but it felt a bit better when I shouted. Kuya looked like it hurt him just to talk to me. "I don't know them! They don't care and they don't know me like you do!" I sniffled and rubbed my eyes as I tried to get rid of my tears.

Kuya didn't reply to me, he just looked away. I wanted to say more to him but then I heard someone coming. I dipped my hand in the water.

Kuya's face disappeared. I'm alone again.

 **~OoO~~OoO~~OoO~~OoO~~OoO~~OoO~~OoO~**

I was already in the room with my Mirror under my pillow when my guardians came back. They had two plastic bags and it smelled like food but I didn't really feel like eating. I sniffled and wiped my nose with my sleeve. My throat still felt tight and everything still hurt inside and now I have to deal with my new guardians seeing me cry.

"Sorry we were gone for so long, kiddo." I heard my father start talking but I don't want to look at him. I don't want to look at anyone right now so I just kept my head down.

"We got dinner for all of us." My 'uncle' added. I nodded. I really don't feel like eating right now.

"You okay, kid?" I heard my father ask. I looked up at him for a few seconds before I looked down again and shrugged.

"I don't know." I muttered. I really don't, I don't understand anything that happened earlier. Why was Kuya angry?

I felt a finger touch my chin and my head was tilted back. I squeezed my eyes shut and pressed my lips together. They'll make fun of me for crying, I just know it.

"Lyka, what happened?" My 'uncle' asked. I shook my head.

"Nothing."

"You're lying." I shook my head. I heard a sigh.

"We want to help you, Lyka." My 'uncle' said gently. My father was quiet but I didn't care. I don't care. I'll keep saying it if I have to make it clear that he doesn't matter. I felt someone wiping cloth on my face. I whined and I tried to get away from the cloth but my 'uncle' kept me from going too far.

"Shh, Lyka it's okay. I just need to wipe your face." Why is he suddenly nice to me? Awhile ago he was saying 'no' to taking me in but now he's acting like I'm important. Why?

"But...I don't want it." I mumbled, wiping my nose with my jacket sleeve. My 'uncle' frowned.

"What?"

"Your help." I can't understand what face my 'uncle' made but he just sighed and shook his head.

"I know right now, everything seems bad-"

"It always is." I interrupted him, "For me, for everyone in my family, it always is. Everything's always bad." My 'uncle' shook his head again.

"-but you need to know that we're here," He finished. He spoke so calmly that I'm a bit scared of him. He smiled and wiped my face again with what I now know is a hankie. "Me and your dad, we're family. You're a surprise but we'll try our best with you." I looked away and shook my head.

"What happened to make you cry?" my father asked. My 'uncle' already asked that question. I frowned at him and pressed my lips together.

My father just stayed where he was but he crossed his arms and looked at me. He was waiting and even if I didn't want to tell him I think he'll find a way to know what happened. My 'uncle' was looking at me too.

"Lyka, I know to you it's not important but to us it is. We just came back from getting dinner and we see you curled up on your bed crying and unresponsive, we want to make sure you're okay." I took a deep breath but my breath still hitched when I tried it. My throat tightened up and I felt tears pricking my eyes again.

"Kuya left me." I whispered, my voice broke and I just whimpered curling up on myself, "He left me and I don't have anyone!" I could feel myself getting carried and I felt a hand patting my head. I flinched. Only my family was allowed to do that!

"Hey kiddo." It was my father, what was he doing? "For what it's worth, you have us." It's not worth much. They don't know me. They don't know what I am. They don't know who Nanay really is. They don't know anything. I hiccuped and whimpered again as I buried my face in his shirt.

"We're not much granted, but we're here. You're not alone, kid."

My breaths were still hitching but I managed to stop myself from crying now. I leaned away from my father and I saw him looking at me, his brows were knotted together. I think I saw concern in his eyes but I didn't want to keep looking at him so I looked down.

"Okay?" He asked.

I nodded.

"Great," I could hear the smile in his voice, "Why don't we all sit down and eat?"

* * *

 **A.N. So there we go with Chapter Four! As someone that left their family (though for a different reason) I will admit that it took me two and a half days of crying before I could stop. And even then it still hurts to think of the house I left cause of all the memories good and bad.**

 **Quick reassurance that Sinag isn't bad, he's just got bad trust issues with foreigners because to him they're threats to his family. He never got angry or showed that distrust to Lyka because he wants her to understand that she'll be safe. It's just that the moment he found out Lyka was alone, he felt like his suspicions were all true and that wasn't a nice thing to think when he's in a plane many feet off the ground and he can't return to protect his youngest sibling,**

 **Papa can't be seen by my Mirror - Deities can't be seen by Mirrors used by Mayari's children because it reflects physical form. While their disguises can be touched, it's still an illusion which in turn can't be reflected.**

 **Sight - Wooden bowls are known as Mirrors though it's oftentimes used by the younger children of Mayari or the inexperienced ones. With the older ones and the ones Mayari had raised, they have Sight. That allows them to project themselves through any reflective surface through the moon's light so they could contact their family.**

 **Maria Cacao -** **In this story, Maria Cacao is a diwata, a Fae Folk of the Philippines. She is one of the tribe leaders for the demigod tribes and she's the most unforgiving. Her skin is the darkest between her, Maria Makiling and Mariang Sinukuan. She likes making deals with people in need since she sees it as a way to ensure that people would know her help is not without consequences. Her tribe is located in labyrinthine caves inside her mountain.**

 **Mariang Sinukuan - Mariang Sinukuan is the elder sister to Maria Makiling, she's jaded by time and her belief in humanity has been lost due to everything she'd seen in the past centuries. She's one of the leaders of the different tribes, her tribe is hidden deep in the heart of her lands. She had made her tribe a home underground to make sure that none will find them.**

 **Lolo - Grandfather**

 **Puñeta - a Tagalog curse word. Could be used to express anger, frustration, disappointment. Derived from Spanish word of the same name.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A.N. Thanks so much for enjoying this fic and for reading it! I'm really very thankful for all of you guys!**

 **Sorry for the super late update, life has been very busy on my end and whenever I find time to write I don't even get to go far ;;w;;**

 **Hope you guys had a good Holidays and special shout out to my amazing beta reader TheWolfParadox!**

 **Once again, comments are much appreciated.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER FIVE**

Dinner was quiet. My father told me it was Chinese food but I really didn't care. I quietly finished my food and when I was done, I just leaned back to watch them both. My father definitely isn't older than Tatay. Tatay had a beard and some of his hair is grey. My father didn't have that. His hair was dark and short, he didn't have a beard or Tatay's kind eyes. He looked like the men Tatay would warn me never to approach.

"Lyka?" I looked at my father who was watching me.

"Yes?" I tilted my head to one side and frowned. Did he say something?

"I was asking if you want more, you just had some soup and noodles." I shook my head.

"I'm okay." My father didn't look like he believed me but he nodded at my answer.

"I'll leave some leftovers in case you want some more." I didn't think I would but I let him put away the leftovers.

I don't think any of us knew what we wanted to say to each other because we just kept sitting at the table looking at each other awkwardly. It took us some time before one of us spoke.

"So..." It was my 'uncle'. I'd noticed that he kept trying to start a conversation with us. I don't know why he keeps doing that. "How'd your mother know my brother?"

I shrugged.

"Nanay never told me." It was true, she never talked about him, she just became quiet and looked like she wasn't there. She told me that I'll know in time but I never thought I would.

I could understand why Nanay won't tell me about him though. He wasn't that important and the story of how they met was just another story among others. But even though I understood why she never said anything, I also wanted to know. They were so far away from each other and he and Nanay are so different. How did they meet?

"But…" I looked at my father and he looked like he knew what I wanted to ask. "If it's not too much..." My father nodded for me to continue. "Could you tell me?"

He grinned at me. "Sure." My 'uncle' turned his chair to properly face my looked more excited than I was.

My father cleared his throat and leaned forward. He looked like my Tito's kids when they're about to tell us a prank they thought of.

"When Dad..." At this my father paused and looked at me. "Your grandpa, let me go on hunts by myself I decided to bite off more than I could chew by going to an area that had been experiencing a lot of miscarriages with no clear cause. The mothers were healthy, their families were fine, no stress and not too hard working." I knew what he was talking about and I pressed my lips together. Those things were never fun to deal with. "So I tried finding what could've done it. I tried demons, witches, everything I could think of and I still found nothing." My father smiled and shook his head. "That took me two weeks. By the start of the third week I had lost all my leads."

He paused before chuckling. "That's when this lady came into the picture. She approached the doctors at the hospital I was investigating in and she said she was a doctor from abroad trying to work on the case too." My father looked me in the eyes. "Your mother." I'd guessed as much. "The doctors believed her. They started telling her what was happening and she just nodded along and said that that same thing was happening at her place. By the time she finished talking with 'em, she'd managed to get all the information I'd fought for days to get in mere minutes."

I frowned. "That's how you met?" I didn't think so but if it was, then that was just love at first sight and I'd understand why Nanay never talked about him. But my father shook his head.

"That's when I first saw her. Dark-skinned, blind in one eye, long dark hair and some scars on her face. But no one batted an eye at that. They just kept saying yes." My father seemed to have realised he was rambling because he cleared his throat and gave us an embarrassed grin. "Sorry. Got carried away."

I shrugged. "Nanay has a way with people. They do what she wants." My father nodded.

"Yeah and she had me thinking she was a doctor too." He chuckled. "Till I went and did a stakeout at one of the possible vics' houses and I saw her up in a tree. That's how I guessed she was a hunter, you know." Nanay must have confused him if he thought she was a hunter. Though I was surprised that my father saw Nanay with all her scars and blind eye, normally people just see what they want to see. Nanay never drops her _Touch_ with anyone except for us and my siblings' fathers. Even Tatay saw her in what he thinks was beauty.

"Nanay is pretty good at hiding." I piped up. My father grinned at me.

"You don't say." Shaking his head he continued. "Anyway, your mother was up in a tree and I managed to piece together the fact that she was just a ridiculously good looking hunter and she was basically just taking the case from me." My father snorted, "Well that won't do. So I decided to start shooting at the thing that landed on the roof and I swear for a few moments after the thing flew away, I was gonna get murdered."

I was surprised he wasn't. Nanay hates it whenever someone steals her hunt.

"Your mother got down from the tree and marched up to my car. She got me out by grabbing my ear and began snapping and snarling at me with a mix of English and Tagalog and it was a bit frightening whenever her language switches." I noticed how my father looked happy and I wondered if he actually cared for Nanay. "Your mother verbally slaughtered me that moment y'know."

I could hear my 'uncle' snickering but I kept my eyes on my father. He looked like Nanay mattered a lot to him. Like my brothers' and sisters' fathers looked whenever they saw Nanay.

"Anyway, I guess I didn't take the hint and I snapped back that she was stealing my case." My father let out a laugh. "She ended up snapping back that the thing I shot at was a creature from her country and that she knows how to deal with them a lot."

"And you decided to what, say you could deal with that thing?" my 'uncle' shot back. The proud smile my father gave him was enough of an answer for me.

"Yeah. And I got punched for that stunt too." I pulled a face. Anyone Nanay punches shouldn't be _that_ happy. Ever.

"I tailed her for what, three days before she finally gave up and just let me tag along." My father shook his head. "I was expecting us to fight the creature, but instead she kept on distracting it and when she got it pretty far she ran to a tree with what I thought was a weird art thing and sprinkled it with ash, salt, and pepper." I shrugged.

"Only way to get them to die," I answered. My father nodded.

"That was her explanation too. And she was right." My father shook his head. "Your mother was quick on her feet and cause of that she actually stopped a lot more deaths. I kept tailing her and she began on just letting me... that's how we got closer."

Seeing someone smile and sigh over Nanay wasn't new. Nanay is really pretty and a lot of people like her a lot. But seeing my father look like the other people who smiled and sighed over Nanay was something that I didn't think I'd see.

"I guess that's why when she left, I didn't know what to do." My father shrugged. "I tailed her for so long and learned a lot about her country's creatures, we got so close to each other that when I woke up one morning and she isn't there..I kinda felt lost." It was odd seeing my father like this but what was I supposed to do?

He'd had a different life that Nanay wanted him to continue with…and Nanay didn't want to be like Papa who's still sad about his wife. I love Papa a lot but I could see why Nanay and my Tito and Titas don't want to marry their human lovers. It would hurt a lot when their human lovers died… How much would it have hurt if they'd gotten married?

* * *

 **A.N. Short chapter but this really is to just talk about how Lyka's mother met Dean. Hope you guys like this and again, comments are much appreciated. I'd love to hear what you think!**

 **Touch - Mayari being the goddess of Beauty among others, could actually appear as anyone's understanding of beauty when you look at her. Though she could drop the illusion if she wanted, but she rarely does so. It's only a few people that had successfully managed to see through her Touch.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A.N. Thanks so much for the kind reviews and I'm so sorry for my absence but I've been unmotivated to write WLT due to varying reasons and I could only hope that you're still interested in this because we haven't even gotten to the thick of things. I hope you guys like this chapter since it has Lyka interacting more with Sam and Dean! ;;3;;**

* * *

 **CHAPTER SIX**

After my father told me the story of how he and Nanay met, I didn't know how to react to the fact that my father had cared for Nanay a lot. So I just settled for going over to him and patting him carefully.

"Nanay never said anything about you but she always got a faraway look in her eyes whenever I hear Kuya ask about my 'Father'." I said simply. I didn't know if that would help but seeing that my father didn't seem to grow upset when I told him that, I took it as a good sign.

"That's...good." My father sounded like it meant a lot to him that I told him those words but he suddenly cleared his throat before looking at me. He looked serious all of a sudden and I tried not to squirm with how he looked at me. Did I do something wrong?

"Your granddad said that you came from the streets," I felt my body go tense when I figured out what he wanted to talk about. I bit my lip, I didn't want to talk about those days in my life but my father looked like he wanted to push me to talk about what happened.

"Where was Maya in all this when you were living in the streets?" I looked at my father in confusion when he asked that question. Didn't Nanay write about that in her letter to him? I remember Kuya told me that Nanay put in everything that my father would need to know about me.

"I still hadn't met her when I was in the streets." I answered simply, I saw a dark expression flicker across my father's face but he didn't make it clear what he was angry about. Was he angry at me? What did I do wrong?

"What do you mean by that?" My 'uncle' pressed on, I looked at them both with a frown before I looked down and tried to think of the best explanation for them to understand.

"Nanay gave me away when I was just a baby to Tatay." I said simply. I didn't want them to know about why I was given away but I also didn't want them to think that Nanay abandoned me.

But my answer didn't seem to please my father because he looked a bit more angry at that fact. I shrank away from him, trying to hide myself. I hate seeing anyone this angry, no matter how much I don't care about them. Angry isn't safe.

"And then you ended up on the streets?" he asked slowly. I scowled at him. My father seemed to think so lowly of Tatay to assume I was in the streets the moment Nanay gave me away!

"No." I said shortly, looking away from him and crossing my arms, my nails digging hard into my jacket sleeves. The pain kept me focused but I felt big hands pull my fingers away from my arms and I flinched at the contact. I looked at the person holding my hands. It was my 'uncle'.

"Then could you tell us what happened?" My 'uncle' spoke gently. I looked at him and then my father. I shook my head. I didn't want to think about what happened. I didn't want the bad memories. I didn't want to think of how Tatay died.

"I don't want to talk about it." I mumbled, feeling my throat close up. I don't have many memories of when I was three but whenever I was with Tatay I remembered everything we did. And with everything we did, even the bad moments stayed.

But I've worked so hard to bury the last memory of Tatay I had. I knew if I talked about it, every other bad memory that followed it would come back.

I saw my 'uncle' look at me with understanding and he nodded his head. "Alright, kid, we'll let it slide for now," he told me with a pat on the head. "But you'll eventually have to tell us what happened, you know that, right?" I didn't like that I would have to tell but I nodded anyway.

"Yes." I mumbled, my brows furrowing as I forced the word out of my lips. My 'uncle' looked satisfied that I agreed, but my father looked like he wanted to press me on the questions he asked me.

I was only too happy that my father didn't push me to answer his questions.

The three of us became quiet and it was like we were trying to find the right words to say again. I didn't mind the quiet. The quiet is sometimes a bit more comforting than having to answer questions that bring back a lot of hurt.

There was a beep and my 'uncle' took out his phone and then he looked at me.

"Your brother sent me a message of your schedule, he said that he wants you to read it over." I frowned and held out my hand. Bringing the phone to my face, I read what Kuya had sent my 'uncle'.

* * *

 _Mr. Winchester,_

 _This is Lyka's daily schedule and I had rearranged this so as to not interfere with your hunt. Keep in mind that Lyka needs to approve of some of these to ensure that she will know what to expect. She doesn't like to be surprised, you see._

 _4:30 am - wake Lyka up_

 _5:00 am - have Lyka do her morning rituals and prayers, please do not disturb her in these hours (Have Lyka approve of this, if the times do not match then tell me so I may readjust her schedule.)_

 _5:30 am - if possible, have Lyka try to read one or two of the textbooks packed in her bags. (Have this approved as well, her former time schedule was 6:00 am but since she would be going through her lessons alone then it will take longer for her to understand.)_

 _7:00 am - breakfast, if possible (if need be, discuss this with Lyka so that she'll have a better clue)_

 _7:30 am - if you are not working on anything, ask her where we left off in her self-defense lessons. She is NOT yet ready for sparring._

 _The rest of the day is up to you, normally she would be spending the entire day with our tribe in training and studying but since we are not here, you will have to work with Lyka on her new schedule. Please have patience when she shuts up on certain subjects, some things are best left alone._

 _Simeon Dela Cruz, Eldest Child of Maya Dela Cruz_

* * *

"Could you tell Kuya that I'm okay with the new schedule?" I asked my 'uncle' as I handed the phone back. "And that he shouldn't worry about me not training while I'm far from home." I could remember some of the runes some of our _Babaylan_ had taught me and I also remember the other motions that's been taught to me.

My 'uncle' nodded and began tapping at the screen, and for a few moments I thought he wouldn't say anything about Kuya's text. But he frowned while he typed and he looked at me.

"Lyka, you said you're only six, right?" I nodded.

"So why are you being trained already?" My 'uncle' didn't sound angry, so I just shrugged.

"Everyone in my family gets trained like this," I explained. "The moment I turned five, everyone began teaching me how to track or how to aim and shoot." I saw my guardians looking at me with some fear and I just can't understand why.

"Your family...taught you to kill?" My father asked slowly, I heard some anger in his voice and I shrank away from him.

"We don't have a choice," I mumbled, looking down. "My family's being hunted like animals, and we had to learn that no one's safe." It's not like they'll figure out who or what's hunting us. As far as my guardians know, we're just fighting in a war.

Silence again. But I don't complain, I mean, Kuya did have to deal with me not speaking when I first got to the tribe but now I'm talking more. My 'uncle' looked like he wanted to throw up.

"Have you ever…?" I knew what they wanted to ask. I nodded.

"Something wanted to kill Kuya so I stole a butterfly knife from one of my relatives." My older sister, the second-in-command in Kuya's war council. Is she still alive? Is she one of the dead that Kuya won't tell me about? All I remember about her was her wide smile looking longer than it is because of the gashes at the corners of her mouth and the three slashes at her neck looking like gills.

From what I remembered, I was told that she got those from Amanikable when she rescued a hostage from his realm. Amanikable hates us. He hates us and Nanay and Kuya said that I should never trust anyone because Amanikable could appear like anyone.

"You shouldn't have had to deal with that," my 'uncle' said firmly. I frowned.

"Well, even if I didn't want to, I don't have a choice." I can't understand what he's saying. Did he think Kuya wanted this? He didn't. He hated having to make the choices to teach us how to fight, he hated seeing us get more scared and want to kill the Dark-Folk. He hated seeing us grow up too fast.

My father and my 'uncle' looked at each other before nodding. Whatever they were thinking, I don't know but I hope they would at least understand why I can't do anything to stop fighting. Even after the war, I still need to learn how to fight. It's part of me now. My father cleared his throat and I straightened up my posture, looking at him with a frown.

"Lyka…" It was obvious my father didn't know what or how to say what he and my 'uncle' agreed to but I tried to wait. "Me and your Uncle Sam agreed that what you went through wasn't fair-"

"Life isn't fair," I cut him off. I frowned. What does fairness have to do with my life now? My life is as fair as my family could make it.

My father sighed. "Yeah kid, I got that much, but what I meant was that you shouldn't be dealing with that." I crossed my arms and narrowed my eyes at him, what's he trying to say? "So your Uncle and I decided that we'll have to cross out your training, maybe set it for playtime or something." I stopped breathing. If I stopped training, then I wouldn't learn how to make those necklaces Kuya makes to protect everyone. I couldn't protect Kuya, I can't even keep myself safe.

I'd be useless. What if the war ended and we still got into fights? What then? How am I gonna be able to keep the tribe safe?

"Lyka?" I looked at my father, hoping he'd understand. He's a Hunter, he _has_ to.

"I-I…" My throat was closing up. I could just see everyone dead. All my cousins, my siblings, everyone dying and I can't even save one life. "I need to learn." I looked at my father, letting him touch me even though I wanted him to keep himself away.

My father took hold of both my shoulders and I tried not to flinch when he did.

"Lyka, I know this is a big step, but you're too young," my father told me. I bit my lip. "Maybe when you're old enough, then we'll see about training you." That was either a lie or an empty promise because if the war ended then they wouldn't have to train me.

"But for now, since you shouldn't be dealing with things like these," my 'uncle' started, "we'll put your schedule for training to be playtime, and we'll figure out how to teach you full-time." I frowned, how could they though? They couldn't teach me much.

I opened my mouth to say no but my father looked like he didn't want me to say no. I closed my mouth and sighed. "Okay, fine," I muttered.

My father looked happy and patted my back. I cringed. I didn't like back pats, it meant that they could easily stab me, but my father didn't know that so I just looked at him without much emotion.

"Good, now I think you need some shuteye."

I didn't want to sleep tonight, usually Kuya would guard our hut for anything so that I could sleep and...Kuya's not here. It just feels so wrong.

"Okay." I mumbled. I stiffened again when my father picked me up and went to where my bed was, he put me on the bed and tried to tuck me in but I scrambled under the blanket the moment he put me down.

For a few seconds, I thought my father was going to say or do something but he just looked at me before smiling awkwardly.

"Good night, kiddo."

"Good night, _po_."

* * *

 **A.N. What do you guys think? I hope you guys like this chapter!**

 **So with Lyka's training...she's not really going to follow it. Mainly because she won't recognise Dean as her father just yet.**

 **Po and Opo - Filipino ways of showing respect to one's po is usually affixed to the end of sentences or phrases when one is addressing someone older than him or her. For example, paumanhin in Filipino means sorry. To an elder, one would say paumanhin po, The word po alone does not really have its own meaning but adds formality and is used as a sign of respect. This is why it is affixed to mano and thus is said as mano po when one is requesting for the blessing of an elder. Opo is a way to say yes to your elders.**

 **Amanikable - The ill-tempered God of the Sea, formerly known as the God of the Hunt. In the WLT lore he is also known as someone that despises Mayari for 'stealing' his title. It is mainly due to him being a purist and since Mayari was a god's half-breed, he finds it hard to accept that she had taken his title God of the Hunt. This in turn led him to have a hatred for all demigods despite him having unclaimed children with human women. He was banished from Bathala's court after he had killed many fishermen before their time after his advances were rejected by a woman.**


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